China Concerned by US, Japan’s Remarks on Disputed Senkaku Islands

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Thursday, a meeting between the US and Japanese officials took place in Washington. The sides said they opposed any actions of third parties, which could undermine Japan’s control over the islands and reaffirmed that the Article 5 of the US-Japan security treaty applies to the disputed archipelago.

"The so-called the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security is a product of the Cold War and should not be used as a support for Japan's illegal claims or to undermine China's territorial sovereignty and other relevant interests … The Chinese side strongly urges the US and Japan to adopt a responsible attitude on the relevant issue, stop make erroneous remarks and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability," the statement, attributed to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, read.

China and several US allies in the region — namely Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines — have competing claims to the maritime borders and responsibility areas in the South China and East China seas. The islands, called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China, are at the center of the heated dispute between Tokyo and Beijing. The United States handed control over the chain of eight islets to Japan in 1972, but Beijing argues they were marked as Chinese territory on maps dating back to 1783.

On June 24, a total of four vessels of the Chinese Coast Guard entered Japan's territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands, and stayed there for two hours regardless of the Japanese maritime security service’s calls to leave the area. The Japanese Foreign Ministry expressed a protest to China over the incident.